


Awkward Christmas Dinner

by Aureia



Category: Bleach, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:21:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26952064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aureia/pseuds/Aureia
Summary: Christmas dinner at Hogwarts becomes a nightmare when Hollows appear. AU, obviously, but not just because of the Hollows.
Comments: 58
Kudos: 13





	Awkward Christmas Dinner

**Author's Note:**

> Part of a BleachHp crossover series I am still building. As of now, it's an oneshot. i might add a second chapter later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who have already read the chapter, I apologize. I messed up the timeline a bit, which is why I changed the last few sentences, where Juu and Shun appear and briefly talk to Severus. I will also post the change in the next chapter.

He should have declined the invitation, Severus thought as he stared at his food, unable to take a bite as his stomach roiled, despite the gnawing ache of hunger that always came after he'd used his powers, which had developed after his encounter with Werewolf Lupin in the Shrieking Shack when he'd been a teenager, rushing there on the night of a full moon like an idiot to protect Lily, confident he would be able to take on the beast.

But when Severus had stumbled his way back into the castle this evening, he had simply been too exhausted, not to mention hungry, to fend off Albus when the old coot had pulled him toward the great hall, where he now sat, among Minerva, Albus and a group of students, one of them Potter.  
"You know Sni- err, Snape, your food is not gonna eat itself," Black said awkwardly, a note of worry in his tone.  
"Sirius is right, Severus. You should eat, you look like you need it," Lupin added, his voice coloured with more than a bit of concern. Severus glared at the two meddlesome Gryffindors, suppressing an involuntary shiver as his mind flashed back to his school days. Snapping jaws and foul breath assailed his senses, before he brutally clamped down on the memory. Yes, what had he been thinking, agreeing to christmas dinner with Black and Lupin, of all people? While Black was actually making an effort to be civil to show his gratitude for Severus' actions in the Shrieking Shack ( _snarling, growling_ \- Severus pushed the memory down) that had resulted in Peter Pettigrew's arrest and Black's exoneration, this was just...awkward. Black's change in attitude, despite Severus knowing that it was genuine - the man had _apologized_ in front of Potter and told the kid he'd been a horrible bully but he was going to be better- nevertheless served to make him wary and more often than not, Severus found himself having flashbacks when in the other man's presence. Especially when he was as exhausted as he was now. _ _  
__ "I already ate."  
That wasn't a lie. He had wolfed down a few sandwiches, but they could hardly be called a meal. But if he ate this calorie-rich, fat food now, he would most certainly chuck it all back up and not necessarily within the privacy of his quarters either. _ _  
__

"Severus-" Dumbledore began, but a roar interrupted him. Severus froze, his eyes widening as a familiar oppressive feeling tainted the air. One of these things, here? Now? _ _  
__

His gaze snapped to a widening tear in the air, as he centred himself, reaching out for the strange power within. Still somewhat weakened from their earlier use, the response was annoyingly sluggish at first, but by the time he'd gone halfway toward the gathering evil that was crawling through the black hole and into the Great Hall, the sword had formed in his right and a red beam of light was leaving his left hand, racing ahead to intercept it. The light crashed into the monster just before he reached it, making it yowl in pained surprise, the sound cutting off as Severus brought his sword down, cutting through the white mask of bone that passed as it's face. Hand still tingling with the aftermath of his spell, Severus jumped clear just in time as another twisted form crawled out with a growl, a monstrous arm hitting the ground he had stood on moments before. Further tearing sounds and a rise in the oppressive feel of the air made Severus whirl around, eyes widening as he saw another monster climb out of yet another tear, it's body lithe and sinous, accompanied by a slightly bigger one. He narrowed his eyes at them, the wave of malevolence they exuded making bile rise to the back of his throat. The smaller let out a hair raising howl, then moved and Severus realised a split second before it did that it's target wasn't him, but the defenceless group of diners sitting frozen at the long table.  
"Oh no you don't" he growled, snapping of another spell, sending it hurtling toward the beast, forcing it to sidestep. Then he concentrated, raising a barrier around the startled group of teachers and students, all staring in shocked disbelief and growing horror. Luckily, the shock of what was happening froze them in their seats for the moment. Moments later, Severus side-stepped the other beast's attack, whirling around and cutting off it's arm as he did so and narrowly avoiding a powerful offensive spell that someone had sent in a misguided attempt to help. While it did reach it's intended target, the red light simply went through the mishappen form, dealing no damage whatsoever, as Severus had expected. _ _  
__

_Sorry old man, but this is a fight you cannot influence. _ _ _  
____

A rush of displaced air and malevolence warned him of the other attack and he jumped to avoid it, firing off a spell at his erstwhile opponents mask, shattering it and driving his sword down into the newcomer's mask as he went back. The small spark of triumph was short-lived, as the small one seemed to have decided to kill him in lieu of it's original target (now protected by his barrier) and a claw hit him in the side, throwing him clear across the room, his landing roughly expelling air from his body. But Severus had no time to recover, rolling out of the way a split second before a clawed foot hit the space he'd been lying in, crushing the old stonework and creating a small crater. Severus winced as he saw the damage it had wrought, apologizing to the castle in his mind. As he'd surmised from the feel of the malevolent pressure the beast gave off, this one was actually far stronger than it's predecessors and obviously far more strategic, as it jumped clear in time to avoid Severus' blade as he came up swinging. Breathing hard and his side on fire, dripping blood sluggishly, Severus eyed up the new threat. Then as one, they began to move, blade and claw engaging in a flurry of ferocious blows. But Severus knew he was loosing. While he was able to hold it off for now, it was only a matter of time before his exhaustion and wounds created an opening. He began to pull on his power, gathering it within himself. He would only have one chance.

Then it happened- his adversary broke through his defense, a claw slashing across his torso and then the other curled around his throat, pulling him off the ground and slamming him against the barrier, which cracked lightly, but held. The same could not be said for his ribs, which snapped with the impact, causing his vision to whiten out for a moment. Dimly he heard the cries of the others through the rushing in his ears, praying they would be sensible and stay within the barrier- though it was probably going to shatter anyway, seing as he was going to die soon. Or would it hold even afterward? Severus shook his head to clear it, refocusing. Luckily, the brief loss of consciousness had not destroyed his efforts, as he could feel his body about to burst with the power he had gathered. Hopefully, it would be enough. Calmly, he raised his weak arms, pointing them straight at the beasts mask, beginning a chant. The beast growled, tightening it's grip around his throat, but Severus continued the chant within his mind, feeling his power respond. He felt a rush of triumph, just as his opponent let out a defiant roar, drawing it's arm back. He felt the release of power in the same moment as the clawed arm plunged into and through his chest. A screech, screams, the awful feeling of the thing in his chest being pulled out forcefully as his spell pushed the monster - Hollow, it was a Hollow, his mind informed him in a sudden burst of clarity as a rush of memories played out in his mind- backward, his own body pushed into the other direction before it dropped to the ground. _ _ _  
_"Say my name.. "____ A voice echoed through the enchroaching darkness, then everything went black.

"SEVERUS! NO!" Minerva was the first to move, her horror over what happened to her younger colleague briefly eclisping all awareness of what else was happening. All she could see, playing like a horrific loop in her minds eye, was a monstrous arm lodging into Severus' chest, as a blueish, almost white sort of power exploded out of him and hurtled into the bone white mask of the monster that had appeared in the great hall out of thin air. The power had thrown the monster backward, the impact seperating them with Severus dropping like a doll with it's strings cut, making no sound at all in contrast to the monster, which had screeched. It didn't take many steps to reach her colleague and Minerva cradled the younger man's head in her lap, crying. Desperate, she reached out with her magic, just as Poppy had taught her. But it only confirmed what the blank-eyed stare told her. Severus had died protecting them from monsters only he seemed to be able to fight against. Minerva had seen Dumbledore's offensive spell, which had nearly hit Severus as he'd briefly moved into it's way when he'd cut off the big monsters arm. She had felt the incredible power the Headmaster had put into the spell. And she had seen the spell hit the monster dead center and pass through it without doing any damage, shattering the house tables pushed against the side of the wall instead. Crying, Minerva pulled the limp body against her, freezing when she heard a familiar voice.

"Merlin's bloody beard! Did I do that...? What the hell is happening?" Minerva raised her tearstained face to look in the direction of the voice, her own lodging in her throat as she came face to face with the youthful, but terribly confused and terrified face of none other than James Potter, his head humonguous and very clearly connected to the monsters body.  
"Ja-James?!" Sirius cried out.  
"James Potter! What is the meaning of this?" Dumbledore snapped, clearly intending to wrest back control of the situation when they all knew he'd lost it the moment his magic had proven unable to deal any sort of damage to these beings. James' head turned to Dumbledore with a snap, a look of relief slowly spreadimg across his face, which was wiped away and replaced moments later with a look of utter horror as a young voice interjected, it's owner taking shaky steps forward. Minerva could practically hear Severus voice dripping contempt as he told the boy to step back in her mind. Harry Potter didn't listen to such admonishments, as he walked ever closer.  
"D-Dad?"  
"Harry! Stop! Don't come closer! Please I...Albus, you have to stop me, I'm-!" James words ended on a strangled whimper as he writhed, clawed hands going to his face as white began to gather at one side of it, covering one of his eyes which began to shine a malevolent red.  
"MINE!" He suddenly growled around a screech of agony, jumping forwards toward a startled Harry.  
_"Move, boy!"_ Mind-Severus yelled as did Minerva out loud, together with the others. Sirius jumped in the monster's path spreading his arms wide.  
"Stop, James! That's your son you're attacking!" The monster ground to a halt, staring down at Sirius, towering over him.  
"Sirius..." James' distorted voice came and Minerva realised what was going to happen a split second before it did. Her scream of warning came too late, however.  
"You're right...he's MINE!" Words ending on a possesive screech, 'James' used a clawed arm to swipe Sirius aside as if he was an insignificant bug, blood spraying as the animagus was hurtled through the air, hitting the ground with a sickening crunch. In that moment, with horrifying clarity, Minerva knew they were all going to die, just like Severus, poor Harry first. Wide eyed, she watched helplessly as the monster reached Harry, towering over the small boy and raising his clawed hand toward his cheek.  
"Come, son, become a part of me."  
"Harry" Ron whimpered off to the side. Harry's gaze flitted toward his best friend, who was cradling a shell shocked Hermione to him, the girl white as a sheet, horrified eyes fixed on the monster. A sudden flash of determination lit the green eyes, as he visibly forced himself to face the monster again, swallowing.  
"Are you going to leave them alone if I...fuse with you?" He asked with a shaky voice. There was a moment of silence, then a voice just as improbable as James' sounded.  
"Don't be daft, Potter. That's a Hollow. He's not going to stop at eating your soul. Stupid reckless Gryffindor brat. A hollow comes toward you, you _**run away**_ , not _**towards**_ it. Unless, of course, you know how to fight it and have the power to do so."

Minerva gasped, her eyes widening, as she stared at her youngest colleague standing between the monster and Harry, whom he'd pushed behind himself. He was wearing a black japanese style... bathrobe over top of a white undergarment, with his feet encased in white socks and japanese sandals. He was wielding a gleaming sword in front of him, held at ease in the direction of the 'Hollow', his eyes clear and full of life. A raven sat on his shoulder, intelligent eyes watching carefully, as it's beak gently nuzzled his hair. _ _ _ _ _ _  
______ The James-Hollow (Jollow, Minerva's taxed mind offered helpfully) reared backwards, visible eye wide as he stared at the apparition.  
"Sni- Snape?! But...but I killed you."  
Severus nodded, his tone conversational as he responded.  
"Yes, you did. My corpse is right over there." He motioned toward Minerva, who looked down at the weight in her arms, a full body shiver going through her as she realized she was still holding the lifeless form of her friend and youngest colleague. With a small yelp, she let go. Her wide eyes met Severus calm gaze.  
"Oh my god, I'm sorry." He gave her a small smile- one of those expressions she'd loved to coax from him but had seen far too rarely.  
"It's all right, Minerva. Everything is going to be all right." She felt herself relax, inexplicably trusting him.  
"But how are you...? What's happening?" James asked. _ _ _ _ _ _  
"______ Well, your killing of my mortal form allowed my soul to emerge and fully awaken my powers. So, thank you, I suppose. Though really...a hand - sorry claw- through the chest? Effective, yes, but so messy. And painful." Severus paused, looking up toward the enchanted sky with a reproachful expression.  
"Why is it that all my deaths have to be painful, is it too much to ask for one where I simply die of old age, falling asleep?"  
Minerva choked on a breath. Plural?  
"Deaths? As in plural? What the hell are you getting at?" James' voice was confused, starkly reminding her of the boy she'd taught.  
Severus gave a shrug in response.  
"Well, my first life, I died at the age of 18 defending my adoptive father and friend. Then, I was stabbed in the back by a goddamn traitor...then when I was...but maybe that *doesn't* quite count, I mean I was still Severus then- well, I am me still but...argh, why am I explaining all this to you anyway?" He shook his head, his stance changing, the raven fluffing it's wings as if readying for flight.  
"I don't know...what are you doing?"  
"I am going to have to have to kill you. You've turned into a Hollow and there is no coming back from that. You might be semi-sane for the moment, but you will transform back into a mindless, soul eating monster again soon enough. You can probably already feel the pull of it. The hunger."  
There was a pause. Then the monster, the Hollow, slumped in defeat, bowing it's head.  
"I do."  
"All right, that is somewhat disturbing. Normally you guys snarl and fight...but oh well, any last words?" Severus said as he raised his blade. The raven's eyes seemed to glow. James seemed to visibly swallow, then nodded.  
"Harry, I'm sorry. I never meant to attack you. Please be a good boy and mind your teachers. And don't ever become a bully, like I was. I love you." The Hollow seemed to psych himelf for his next words, one warm brown eye meeting Severus dark gaze.  
"And Severus, what we did to you...it was, I know it won't ever be enough, but I'm sorry."  
Severus nodded. Power rose around them, as Severus raised his sword high, bringing it down. There was a raven's cry, followed by a howl of pain, then a snarl. Severus rolled his eyes.  
"Of course it can't be that easy. Hello again. You should've just stayed down like a good little dog." With that, the raven took flight as Severus jumped after the Hollow, now fully masked once more and the two engaged in a brief battle. This time, instead of being on the defensive, Severus was on the offensive and he was winning. Minerva frowned, narrowing her eyes. He seemed to draw the battle out, almost. Just as she had that thought, Severus thrust through the Hollow's mask, completely shattering it. He watched dispassionately as the Hollow disintegrated, raising a brow as it was replaced with the soul of James Potter, silvery and see through. A gate shimmered into being behind James, looking like something out of a horror movie. James turned around, his eyes widening.  
"What is THAT? It looks like the gates of Hell."  
"That's because it is."  
"I-I'm going to hell?"  
"Seems so," Severus nodded, watching without moving as chains flew out the gate, wrapping around his former tormentor.  
"WHY?!" The tone was accusatory now, as James began to fight against the chains, pulling on them in vain.  
"Hey, don't blame me! Killing your Hollow form cleansed you of the sins done in your afterlife so far, but there's nothing I can do about what you did in life. It's not my decision."  
James deflated like a balloon, his shoulders sagging in defeat, stopping his struggle against the chains that were pulling him further into the gate.  
"Am I going to be released at some point?" He asked in a small voice.  
Severus met his gaze evenly, seriously.  
"I honestly don't know."  
James nodded, the gates closing with a thunk. Severus slipped his blade into it's sheath, his legs wobbling. Then he pitched forward.  
"Whoa whoa whoa, careful kiddo!" A brown haired man wearing a floral sheet appeared, catching the young man around the waist. Another, a white haired man wearing a white overcoat with a japanese character emblazoned on the back stood next to him, staring at the place the gate had disappeared in thought.  
"Anticlimatic, wasn't it, Juu? I expected a sword through his chest and screaming," the brown haired man said conversationally, as he hoisted Severus up.  
"Shun...be a bit more sensible about it, will you. That poor kid didn't need to see that." Shun shrugged in response, jostling Severus who gave a faint moan, coming around.  
"...Captain Kyouraku, Captain Ukitake...did you find out what you needed?"  
"So you did notice us there," the white haired man said pleasantly, patting Severus' back.  
"Of course I did. You didn't exactly hide from me."  
"No, we did not. Still, good senses. As expected from a Kuchiki."

"Kuchiki...how's he doin'?" Severus mumbled, his voice fading.

"Oh, he's a captain now. Sixth, of course," Shun laughed, ruffling Severus' hair gently. Then his expression turned sombre.

"He's gotten all boring and stuck up though, a stickler for the rules. Losing you and then Hisana-chan devastated him. He did manage to find Hisana-chan's sister though. Looks just like her. He adopted- what Juu?" The white haired man had been nudging his companion in the side for a while.

"He's asleep. Let him rest up first."

"Aww, so he is," Shun said as the two men stepped closer to the group of wizards, brown eyes alighting on the corpse at Minerva's feet.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear." Shun gently jostled Severus once more, looking somewhat reproachful. Then he sighed.

"And of course, he leaves us to clean this mess up."

**Author's Note:**

> Keep in mind that the descriptions of what Severus and the two captains are wearing is from Minerva's point of view, who has no idea about japanese culture so a Shihakusho, to her mind, is just a very thin and strange looking black Bathrobe and a Captains Haori is a white overcoat


End file.
